The Beginning of the End
by CaelumBlue
Summary: Tenses Saga, Part 1. After her parents' mysterious deaths, Wondermint is the only mare in Ponyville who knows Dream Valley is more than a legend--and someone wants HER dead, too. Good thing someone else is willing to fight to keep her alive...
1. Conspiracies

**Author's Note: Hey there, everybody! CaelumBlue here. If you hang out at the MLPArena, you probably know me as just Caelum. It got into my head that I should probably start submitting my MLP stories to , so, here I am. This here is **_**The Beginning of the End**_**, first part of the Tenses Saga, posted here on for your reading pleasure. **

**Though chances are you've already read it, either at the Arena or on my LJ…but whatever. Best to have all my bases covered, eh? **

**And by the way, I don't own My Little Pony. Hasbro does. And if any of the fans owned MLP, we'd definitely know about it, because there'd be boy ponies and greater obstacles to overcome than wondering what to get Kimono for her birthday. XD**

**Enjoy! **

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**Part 1: Conspiracies**

_In which Wondermint is the only one with any sort of inkling as to what's going on..._

Crystal Lace wasn't a very adventurous pony. Long treks through muddy swamps and dark forests didn't interest her. Valiant quests to the tops of mountains or the bottom of canyons didn't appeal to her. Dangerous journeys through endless caves or lakes of bubbling lava made her wonder what had gotten into the heads of the ponies who did those things. She _liked_ royal life, dangit! She _liked_ eating the best Ponyville had to offer, she _liked_ attending all the royal balls, she _liked_ the boring court meetings—no, wait, okay, so she actually _hated_ those meetings, hated them with a fiery passion that caused her to make badly-drawn doodles all over her papers while other court members were talking, but that was beside the point. Those dratted court meetings were a thousand times better than dangerous quests, even if Duchess Gem Blossom wouldn't stop cracking jokes, Princess Pink Sunsparkle wouldn't stop barging in uninvited, and Thunder Flash wouldn't stop flirting with pretty mares the entire time. Court meetings, as aggravating as they were, were still a part of…well…_home_. Not stupid pointless adventures.

"You're insane, Wondermint," she stated, watching her friend frantically dash about.

"I'm not," the white mare snapped, rummaging through a closet.

"You're overreacting. It's been a tough time for you, I know…" Crystal Lace began.

"You've got no idea," Wondermint muttered. Crystal Lace grimaced. Yes, Wundy was going through a terrible time at the moment. Her parents had died only a week ago—an unfortunate accident during a woodland walk with three friends. No one had seen the snake until it was too late. It had bitten Countess Pearldrop first, and then Count Agate when he'd tried to step on the reptile. The creature had managed to get away, slithering into the undergrowth as the other three ponies panicked. Neither Wondermint nor Crystal Lace had been there; but Duchess Sunshimmer had assured the newly-orphaned mare that her parents had died as comfortably as possible, surrounded by herself, Lady Savannah Sage, and Duchess Star Dasher.

And now, mere days after her parents' deaths, Crystal Lace was certain that Wondermint had actually gone over the deep end.

"Listen, Wundy," she began, "why don't you just lie down and rest awhile, hmm? I'm sure you're tired, and…well, maybe you could use a nap," she finished, shrugging lamely. Wondermint didn't appear to hear her, as she was still staring into the closet. Then she slapped her forehead with a hoof, muttering.

"Idiot, idiot, I'm not packing _dresses_! Sweet Rainbow, what's gotten into me?" She left the closet and started pacing the room. "Don't need any clothes…grass is plenty filling and nutritious, so food's out of the question…which only leaves…" She trailed off, frowning thoughtfully.

"Wondermint?" Crys asked worriedly.

"And I can't take all the records and books with me…"

"Wondermint? What are you talking about?"

The white mare hesitated, her eyes darting about before she moved closer to her friend. "Crys…" she began slowly, "I'm leaving."

"Well, I figured _that_ out real quick. _Why_?"

Wundy looked really nervous now. Her eyes flickered back and forth, all over the room. "My parents' deaths weren't an accident, Crys," she whispered. "They were assassinated. Someone planned for them to die, and sent that snake to kill them. And now…now they'll be after me."

Crys stared at her friend for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Well Wundy, that's very interesting. Now, why don't you just lie down and—"

"Crystal Lace!" Wondermint exclaimed. "I mean it! This isn't a joke!"

"Wondermint," Crys began, hoping to instill _some_ sanity in her friend, "would you _please_ explain to me just _why_ anyone would want to kill your parents—two of the nicest ponies in the entire court—and would then come after you? Who would want to? Ponyville has no enemy countries—heck, there _aren't_ any other countries to be enemies _with_! Politics here are simple and boring—no one really cares, so no one would want to kill your family to gain power or anything. It makes no sense, Wondermint. Now take a nap before you hurt yourself!"

Wundy merely shuffled her feet, staring at the floor. "You don't understand," she muttered.

"Don't understand what?"

"My family…_knows_ things." She paused. "Knew things. _I_ know things."

Crystal Lace frowned. "What kind of things?" she asked, hoping that if she humored her friend, Wondermint would finally take her advice and take a nap.

"Things," the other shrugged. She looked around the room. "I'm gonna miss this place."

"Wondermint…"

The white mare went back to the closet, rummaged through it for a moment, and came out holding something wooden. She gave it to Crystal Lace.

"Here. I want you to have it."

Crys stared at it stupidly. "It's a harp," she stated.

"Thank you, Lady Obvious."

"I can't _play_ a harp."

Wondermint sighed. "You'll learn. You're good at music."

"It's an impossible feat, Wundy! I don't have fingers!" Crys had forgotten about Wondermint's mental problems as she stared at the beautiful instrument in her hooves. The harp was absolutely gorgeous. The wood was decorated with all sorts of little flowers, carved with intricate detail. The strings were well-kept and taut. Music was Crys's passion, and she could tell that this harp would make beautiful music in the hands of the right musician. But not hooves. You needed fingers to play a harp.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Wondermint smiled. "Please, take it. Oh, and one other thing."

"Huh?" Crys asked, looking up from the instrument.

"You know the fireplace in the very back of the library?"

"The one with the stone unicorns?"

"Yes. That one. Pull the unicorn's horn."

Crys blinked. "Uh…what?"

"Pull the unicorn's horn," Wondermint repeated, looking her friend straight in the eye. Crystal Lace stared back at her before nodding slowly.

"Alright."

Wondermint smiled. "Good!"

They stood in silence for a moment. Then, Crystal Lace cleared her throat.

"Well, I think I'll…just…be off to dinner." She paused, looking at Wondermint. "You wanna come?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Crystal Lace nodded, and walked out of the room with the harp. Wondermint smiled at her friend.

"I'll miss you," she murmured. She took a moment to look around the room one last time. She'd grown up in these quarters. This was only her bedroom, but there was also a large living room with a door leading to the hallway, and her parents' old bedroom, which she hadn't moved into yet. And, at this rate, wouldn't move into for a very long time.

Wondermint sighed. There was nothing here worth bringing, nothing she needed. Turning, she left her bedroom, walked through the living room, opened the door, and stepped out into the hallway. She slowly closed the door behind her, trying to stare into the room beyond it for as long as possible. When it was closed, she took a moment to admire the woodwork one last time before shaking herself out of her reverie and walking down the hall. Yes, she was leaving her home, and everything she'd ever known, but she had to stay focused. Her parents' assassin—or assassins—knew what they were doing. They'd made Pearldrop and Agate's deaths look like a simple accident, and she didn't doubt that they were capable of doing the same to her. A trip down the stairs, a fall over the balcony, drowning while swimming in the moat…

Wondermint shivered. Thinking like this wasn't helping. She had to stay focused.

She walked on through the maze of purple corridors, looking around herself sadly and wondering if she would ever be back. Everyone was off at dinner, so she didn't run into any ponies trying to offer their condolences and sympathy after loosing her parents, and for that she was glad.

She stopped when she reached the library. Walking through the forest of bookshelves, she made her way to the very back, and stopped in front of the fireplace.

It was a very old, very dusty fireplace. No one had used it for a very long time. Few ponies ever actually came to the library at all, in fact. And, while it made Wondermint sad that her fellow ponies cared so little about reading, it was a fact she was willing to use to her advantage. She walked up to one of the carved stone unicorns on either side of the fireplace, and pulled its horn downward.

The fireplace moved—not very far, only a few feet—but enough to reveal the hidden passageway behind it. Wondermint squeezed through the small doorway. The passageway was much roomier. She found the lever that would close the fireplace door, and pulled it. The fireplace shifted back to its original position, and the unicorn's horn clicked back into place. Wondermint turned and began walking.

It was dark in here, but she knew the way well, and there weren't any other corridors one could get lost in. It was only this one passageway, and, at the end of it, a door. Wondermint opened it and went inside.

This room was well lit, thanks to the glowing lamp that hung from the ceiling. Wondermint stopped in the room's center and stared up at it. It was a very old lamp, she knew, made who-knew-how-long-ago by Elves from some distant land. It would never go out, because the light was from a magical glowing stone inside the lamp, not fire.

Wondermint looked around the room, gazing at the many shelves. There were all sorts of old documents stored here—books, letters, diaries, paintings…

She trusted Crystal Lace. She trusted her friend to take care of all this.

There was another door, on the opposite side of the room. Wondermint walked to it and went through, taking one last look at the secret room. Then she closed the door. This passageway was dark as well, but she remembered her way around. There should be a long piece of wood around here somewhere…

There it was. Her tail was brushing against it. Wondermint turned and picked it up, and slid it into place through the holders on the door, locking it. Yes, she trusted Crys with the secret room, but there were some things she knew her friend shouldn't know of. Yet.

She went down the passageway a few feet, and soon found the stairs. It was a spiral staircase, going down and down and down and down, past the lowest levels of the castle. It led to a cave system under the castle, which was more difficult to navigate, what with all the twists and turns and many tunnels.

When she reached the caves, it took her a minute to remember which way to go. She was reminded by the snoring coming out of one of the tunnels. And the smell. She went down the tunnel, treading carefully on the uneven terrain. In the distance, a faint pink glow grew brighter as she approached it, and she soon found herself before a mound of dirt, which supported a beautiful pink flower from which the glow came. From under the dirt grew long green vines, the main portion of the plant the flower grew from. The vines twisted their way through other tunnels, finding their way up to the surface of the earth. Part of the reason they grew that way was to gather nutrients for the flower—there was, after all, no sunlight down here. But they were also there to act as guides for that special pony, the one who would come and take the flower and break the spell…

Wondermint walked around the mound, checking the flower from all sides. It was perfectly fine, of course, but she wanted to be sure before she left. Then she laid her head on the pile of dirt, listening to the snoring within.

"_Snnnnnrrrrockk, z-z-z-z-z. Snnnnnrrrrockk, z-z-z-z-z._"

Wondermint smiled. "Sweet dreams," she murmured. Taking one last look at the flower (it struck her just _how many_ last looks she'd taken in the last fifteen minutes), she went down the next tunnel, following one of the vines. She wondered when the next Princess would be discovered. She wondered if she would even be alive to see it.

She wasn't sure how long she walked through the tunnel. It felt like days, but surely it couldn't be that long. She didn't know where the tunnel led to, either. She'd never been down it. But the vine _had_ to go up to the surface at some point…there. There was light coming down from the ceiling, straight ahead. Wondermint hurried towards it.

Yes, here it was. The place where the vine crawled upward, pushing through the dirt to get to the surface. Wondermint stood on her hind legs, and used her forefeet to make the hole the vine went through big enough for her to squeeze through. It took some effort, and the ceiling was very low so she bumped her head several times, but it was all worth it when she managed to shimmy up the hole and get back into the fresh air. She took a moment to savor the light breeze flowing through her hair before looking around.

It was sunset, she noticed first, looking towards the west. Then she looked east. There was a forest about twenty feet away—good, she could travel under cover—and beyond that, off in the distance, were the Lavender Mountains. Her destination.

And, standing right in front of the first trees of the forest, was another pony. Wondermint stared in shock, taking in the other's looks. White body, light pink hair, a spattering of sparkles across her face…

She frowned. What was a sparkle pony doing so far away from Celebration Castle?

"Countess Wondermint," the other greeted her. She shifted her position slightly, and Wondermint saw the marking on her hip.

"Lady Desert Rose," she nodded politely. Now that she knew who it was, she knew why Desert Rose was out here. She'd always been a strange pony; an object of royal gossip since before her birth. No one knew who her father was, and her mother had taken the secret to the grave mere hours after giving birth to her filly.

"Funny you're so far from the castle," Desert Rose said lazily. Her eyes were emotionally blank, as always. She gave the impression that she was a bored spectator of the world—she never attended parties or balls, never came to court meetings, hardly ever spoke with anyone… And she certainly _never_ started a conversation.

"I—uh…" Wondermint trailed off, at a loss for words. Desert Rose watched her expressionlessly. "I…" Wundy sighed. "Listen…I'd really appreciate if you didn't mention this to anyone. I just—I have to go, it's a long story, my parents…"

To Wondermint's surprise, Desert Rose slowly walked forward, until her nose was mere millimeters away from her own. For a long time green eyes stared into purple, and then Desert Rose backed away.

"Don't tell anyone what?" she asked blankly. Wondermint sighed in relief.

"Thank you," she said, stepping forward to walk past the other. As she passed, Desert Rose, without turning around, said, ever so softly, "Good luck, Countess." Wondermint glanced back at her, but she'd already started walking away, not looking back. Wondermint sighed and shook her head. Such a strange pony.

She turned back towards the forest and headed towards it at a brisk pace.

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**Ending author commentary note thing: Oooh, Desert Rose. Right. Sorta kinda forgot about her. Well, not **_**really**_**, I've always had plans for her, but…heh, this is the only time we see her in what I've posted so far of the Tenses Saga. I'm kinda worried that my readers have forgotten about her… Ah, no worries, she's coming back in Part 3. **

**Review if you like. Though most people have probably already left reviews at the Arena, so I'm not gonna complain if I don't get any here. XD **


	2. Jokes

**Author's Note: Chapter two! Oh, and I don't own My Little Pony.**

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**Part 2: Jokes**

_In which Princess Peppermint works on her queenlyness…_

"To get to the other side!" Duchess Gem Blossom finished her joke, bursting into laughter. Crystal Lace stared at her blandly for a few seconds before deciding to humor her.

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!"

"Yeah, pretty funny, huh?" Gem Blossom asked, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "Glad you liked it." She looked around. "Say, where's Wondermint?"

Crystal Lace stopped pretending to chuckle. "Oh…she…she wasn't feeling so good. I left her in her room. She was running around, acting funny…but she should probably be taking a nap by now, so I'm sure she'll feel better soon."

Gem Blossom nodded sadly. "That's good. I'm really sorry it happened…to think it could've been _my_ mother to die…" Her mother, Duchess Sunshimmer, had been on that walk with Wondermint's parents.

Crystal Lace nodded, and Wondermint's earlier words came back to her. _My parents' deaths weren't an accident._ What was the chance that that snake would bite _both_ of Wundy's parents, and not anyone else? It was…very strange.

_No,_ Crystal Lace thought, mentally shaking herself. _No. No conspiracy theories. It was an _accident_. There's no reason anyone would want to murder Pearldrop and Agate._

But there was still a nagging feeling in the back of her mind.

"Well, next time you see her, tell her I say hi…and that I'm sorry," Gem Blossom was saying. "I'd tell her myself, but she probably doesn't want to talk to a lot of people right now…"

"Yeah," Crystal Lace nodded, glad to get out of her disturbing train off thought. "Right. I'll tell her. In fact, I think I should go check on her now, just to make sure she's alright."

Gem Blossom nodded. "Okay then. See you later. Hey, Starbeam, you wanna hear this great joke…?" She walked off towards the blue pony, leaving Crys to smile and shake her head before leaving the dining hall. Time to check on Wundy.

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She wasn't there.

Crystal Lace stared into the empty bedroom, shocked. Wondermint was supposed to _be here_. She was supposed to be taking a nap, like Crys had told her! And…she wasn't.

Crystal Lace took a deep breath. Okay, so Wundy wasn't on the bed. But then, she _had_ been through an awful few days, maybe she wouldn't want to be sleeping out in the open. So…maybe she was hiding in the closet.

She wasn't.

Under the bed?

No.

The bathroom?

She wasn't there, either.

Crystal Lace could hear little voices whispering in the back of her head.

_She said she was leaving…_

…_had to go…_

"_My parents' deaths weren't an accident, Crys."_

Trembling, Crystal Lace shook her head. "No," she murmured. "No. No, no, no no, _no_."

Wondermint _was_ here. She was just…not in this bedroom. Maybe…maybe she was in her parents' old room! Crys turned around, dashed through the living room, and ran to the door to what had been Pearldrop and Agate's room. She opened it.

Wondermint wasn't there.

Crystal Lace felt panic creeping up on her as she tore through the family's entire living quarters, desperately searching for any sign of her friend. She found none.

"_Someone planned for them to die, and sent that snake to kill them. And now…now they'll be after me." _

"_This isn't a joke!"_

"_I'm leaving." _

Crystal Lace broke down in the middle of the living room and began sobbing.

Wondermint was gone.

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"Gone?" Princess Peppermint asked, looking very confused. "What do you mean, 'gone'?"

Crystal Lace looked up at the queen of Ponyville. Princess Peppermint had an interesting story when it came to her name—when she was born, her parents, for some odd reason, had included the word "Princess" as part of her actual name. Before her ascension to the throne, her full title, Princess Princess Peppermint, had been quite a mouthful. After her father's death, she became Queen Princess Peppermint. Most ponies found it easier to just refer to her with her given name, and so she was still called Princess even though she was technically Queen.

"She ran away," Crystal Lace answered her ruler, trembling. She wasn't frightened of Peppermint—the filly was one of the gentlest ponies Crys had ever known. She was shaking from the shock of finding Wundy gone.

Peppermint looked worried. "Oh," she said, looking around. "Ah…why would she do that?"

Beside her, Queen Royalette sighed. "Peppy, darling, it's rather obvious, isn't it? Countess Wondermint is obviously having a hard time coming to terms with her parents' deaths."

Peppermint scrunched up her nose, thinking. "Um…alright then…"

An uneasy silence descended upon the ponies. Peppermint looked nervously from Crystal Lace to Royalette.

"I…I guess we should send out search parties or something?"

Royalette smiled. "Good idea, sweetheart. How about you try not to look so nervous when you're thinking though, hmm? Doesn't make you look like a capable leader."

Peppermint sighed and nodded. "Yes, Mom." Royalette smiled. Ever since her husband, King Ironhoof, had died, she'd been by her daughter's side, helping her run the kingdom. She still had the title of Queen, but she wasn't Ponyville's absolute ruler. That had been her husband, and by birthright his daughter was next in line to the throne.

"We'll send out search parties, then," Princess Peppermint said, trying to sound less anxious. "And we'll see if we can't find her. We should start organizing search parties, I suppose…"

"Thank you," Crystal Lace said, feeling greatly relieved. Surely they'd find Wundy quickly—she couldn't have gone too far. What with her…odd mental state, and her desperate need for a nap… Yes, they'd find her. They'd find her soon.

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**Author's end notes/commentary thing: Ouch. Poor Crystal Lace. I really feel sorry for her, here. But I still love her. **


	3. Wastes

**I don't own My Little Pony. But I do own Thunder Flash, the lovable jocky jerk of a stallion who we're introduced to in this chapter. **

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**Part 3: Wastes**

_In which Princesses Pink Sunsparkle and Roomperoonie nearly get caught…_

It'd been a week.

Crystal Lace stared at the ice cream sundae in front of her. She needed to eat, she knew. She hadn't eaten much in days. The last time she'd had an actual meal was the dinner she'd had just before discovering Wondermint had disappeared.

One…whole…week ago.

Needless to say, Crys was beyond worried.

"You need to eat," Lickety-Split said impatiently, watching the jewel pony. Lickety was one of the castle's chefs, and was well-known for her ice cream concoctions. They were currently sitting in one of the kitchens.

"I'm not very hungry," Crys said softly. Lickety rolled her eyes.

"You haven't eaten in _days_."

"Yeah," Crys said. "I know."

They hadn't found Wondermint yet. Not even the slightest trace of her. Royalette and Princess Peppermint were getting antsy; Crys could tell. They were certain by now that they'd never find the missing Countess. Even Crys was starting to think it.

"Well you have to eat _something_," Lickety-Split said. Crys sighed.

"I…"

She was saved from having to come up with an excuse as the door opened, and Princess Pink Sunsparkle burst into the room.

"Crystal Lace!" the filly shouted. "My mom and my sister want to talk to you!"

"Really?" Crys asked. "Did they find—"

"I don't know. I just heard them saying they needed to talk to you," Sunsparkle shrugged. "But you didn't hear it from me, 'kay?"

"Sunsparkle!" little Roomperoonie shouted as she dashed into the room. "C'mon! Thunder Flash just figured out who replaced his hair gel with icing!"

"Uh-oh," said Sunsparkle, and the two fillies ran out of their room. Crys sighed, turning to Lickety.

"Well, guess I have to go."

Lickety rolled her eyes. "Sure."

Crys turned to walk out the doorway. As she entered the hall, she heard an angry stallion.

"SUNSPARKLE!!! ROOMPEROONIE!!! YOU TWO LITTLE RATS ARE _SO DEAD_!!!"

Thunder Flash came careening around the corner, his dark purple mane and blue coat gooped with icing. He screeched to a halt before he could run over Crys.

"Heeeeey, Crystal Lace," he said. "My, you look pretty today…"

"What's it to you?" she asked blandly, walking past.

"You doing anything tonight?"

"Yes, I'm sitting up in my bed and worrying for the life and sanity of my best friend while she's out who-knows-where doing who-knows-what because some stupid reptile had to kill her parents, thus causing her to go and have a mental breakdown," were the words that Crystal Lace did not say, because that would be rude. Instead she said, "Yeah, I'm busy."

"Oh. Okay," Thunder Flash shrugged. He looked through the kitchen door.

"Heeeeey, Lickety-Split. You look pretty today."

"Thanks, Thunder."

"You doing anything tonight?"

Crys sighed and shook her head, walking off to find Royalette and Princess Peppermint.

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"You're _WHAT_?!?"

"Calling off the search," Princess Peppermint repeated, eyeing Crystal Lace worriedly. The jewel pony stared at her ruler in horrified shock.

"But—but—but _why_?"

Peppermint took a breath, looking nervous. "She…we haven't… It's been a week, Lady Crystal Lace." She shook her head sadly. "We aren't going to find her. I'm sorry."

Crystal Lace opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally willing words to come out. "But…we can't…she's…she's still out there…"

Peppermint shook her head. "I'm sorry, Crystal Lace. It's been a week. There's no sign of her—she's gone. I really am sorry," she added, looking anxious. "Countess Pearldrop and Count Agate were some of the nicest members in the court, and I hate to think of their daughter dead as well as them…but…we're not going to find her. It's a waste of time. I'm sorry."

Crystal Lace stared at the floor. "I…I understand," she murmured, but it was a lie. She didn't understand _anything_ right now. Her eyes flickered to Royalette, standing behind her daughter, and found that the older Queen was gazing at her with sad eyes.

"I think, Lady Crystal Lace," Royalette said softly, "that it is best for us to let it go. Lay the past to rest. It's all we can do, now."

Crystal Lace nodded weakly. "Yes…you're right." She turned and left the room. Behind her, she heard Royalette talking to her daughter, telling her that there was no need to apologize so much, it made her sound juvenile…

Crys walked up to her room and went to the window, staring out at the Lavender Mountains. She didn't know what to do now. Her best friend was supposedly dead, they were calling off the search parties, she would probably never see her again…

She sighed and turned from the window, intending to collapse on her bed and take a nice long nap, but stopped when she saw what was lying on the mattress.

It was the harp.

Crystal Lace stared at it for a moment, realizing it was the last gift she would ever get from her friend…and that she hadn't given anything in return. She felt tears prickle in her eyes, and she shivered.

She hadn't even said goodbye…

She snatched the harp from her bed and ran out of her quarters, not sure where she was going. She just wanted to go somewhere…somewhere where she could hide and cry without anyone coming to tell her how sorry they were, how awful it was that she'd lost her friend… Somewhere she'd be left alone by the hoard of sympathizers certain to materialize once the news that Wundy was gone got out. Somewhere where, maybe, she could try to make some music with this, the last gift her friend had ever given.

She suddenly realized she was in the library.

There were lots of shelves, she noticed, all stocked with books. Crys laughed weakly—wasn't that the point of a library? To have shelves full of books? She must be loosing it…

Still, this _would_ be a great place to hide for a while. No one ever came in here. And she could try out the harp without anyone hearing what was sure to be awful music until she got the hang of it…

She walked through the forest of shelves, looking for a suitable nook to sit in. She found it in the very back, by the fireplace. Glancing at the two stone unicorns on either side of the hearth, she sat down and scrutinized the harp.

Strings.

Then she looked at her hooves.

No fingers.

Strings.

No fingers.

Crystal Lace sighed. Well, it was worth a try.

Fifteen minutes later, she let out an exasperated cry and set the harp aside. It was impossible—her hooves kept getting stuck in the strings, and she couldn't pluck them deftly enough to make any sort of tune. All in all, a pony playing a harp was a physical impossibility.

Truth be told, she'd actually never heard any sort of string music before. Or any music made by any instrument that required the use of fingers. Flutes, banjos, violins, harps, pipes—no pony she knew had ever heard the music those things produced. How could they? If there ever had been humans and elves, they'd died out long ago. Still, the tales of their music lived on, though the music itself was lost. All that ponies were capable of playing were percussion instruments—tambourines, chimes, maracas, drums…the only thing they could play that _wasn't_ percussion was a kazoo.

Crystal Lace looked down at her harp sadly. Here lay a beautiful instrument, just begging to be played, the last gift her friend had ever given her…and she wasn't able to play it. What a waste.

She picked it up and left the library, not noticing the two stone unicorns on either side of the fireplace.

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**End commentary: Heh, this is the first time we ever see Princesses Pink Sunsparkle and Roomperoonie executing their daily shenanigans. Never a dull moment with those two...**


	4. Attacks

**I don't own My Little Pony. But I do own Rankle and her nameless cronies. And I'm proud of it. ^_^**

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**Part 4: Attacks**

_In which we discover Wondermint's love of all things purple._

"This is ridiculous," Wondermint grumbled to herself as she pushed through a dense clump of bushes. "Downright ridiculous!" She'd been walking, stumbling, trudging, running, falling, meandering, struggling, and basically making her way through the forest for a good week and four days now. She'd lost track of how many times she'd gotten her hair stuck in branches, her white coat was streaked with dirt, and she'd refused to count how many times she'd forgotten which way she was going. "How in the world they used to do it in the good old days is beyond me," she grumbled, recalling the stories of how the ponies of Dream Valley would go on long journeys to distant lands on a regular basis. She strained forward again, trying to get out of the thicket. "They must've been in _really_ good shape back then…none of Lickety-Split or Port-O-Bella's cakes or cookies or ice cream…" The thought of the head chefs back home in the castle made her stomach rumble. Wondermint sighed, and tried to force her way through the bushes. The bushes, however, had other ideas, and held tightly to her mane, no matter how hard she pulled. After a long, long fight between pony and plant, Wondermint groaned and went limp. "This sucks."

"Now, now, that's not proper language for a mare of your standing, now, is it?"

She jerked at the voice, instantly going alert. Someone was with her. Friend or foe? She didn't know—she couldn't even see them! Though, if they were enemies, she really wasn't in the best situation.

_I'm going to die in a bush,_ she thought bleakly, unable to believe her horrible luck. Maybe dying in ridiculous situations in the woods ran in the family.

"W-who goes there?" she asked roughly, eyes darting about manically. There was a movement at the edge of her vision, and a sparkling pink mare stepped into view. She walked slowly in front of Wondermint, smirking at her with bright green eyes.

"My, you've certainly gotten yourself into a tangle, haven't you?"

"Who are you? What do you want?" Wondermint demanded, vigorously trying to get out of her branchy prison. The stranger rolled her eyes.

"Yeesh, aren't you polite? Stop struggling, you'll only get yourself more stuck." At her words, Wondermint started thrashing in the bushes even harder. She _was not_ going to die in a bush, dammit! She was _at least_ going to put up some kind of fight! "Hell-LO-O!!" the stranger shouted. "I _said_, stop struggling!" When Wondermint didn't listen, she rolled her eyes again, lifted her hoof, and slapped the white mare directly across the face. Wondermint froze, shocked.

"There," the stranger said, smiling. "That's better."

"What…what...?"

"Now hold still," the stranger went on, reaching her head into the bushes to untangle Wondermint's mane with her teeth. "Honestly, you don't need to worry. If I wanted to kill you, you would've been dead days ago."

"Days?" Wondermint repeated dumbly. "Have…you've been following me for that long?"

Pausing in the midst of untangling purple strands from green leaves, the stranger pulled her head back and looked the white pony straight in the eye. "I've been following you all your life." She went back to working on Wondermint's hair. Wondermint only blinked, confused.

"What?"

"But then, I have this habit of following everyone throughout all their lives," the stranger went on cheerfully, getting past a particularly large knot. "It's just a hobby of mine, you see."

"I don't really understand what you're talking about."

"It's okay, dear. I don't expect you to. There," she added, freeing the last of Wondermint's hair from the twigs and branches. "That's better. Now, try to get out."

Wondermint took a hesitant step forward, then another, and before she knew it she was out of the bushes and in the clearing with the stranger. She turned to face the sparkling pink mare, taking note of the strange way her body glowed.

"Um…thank you…"

The other swished her tail happily. "No problem, dear. It was my pleasure. _Someone's_ got to keep an eye on you, anyhow."

Wondermint blinked confusedly again. "Ah…thanks…miss…?"

"Call me Secret Wish," the other answered, amusement dancing in her green eyes.

"Secret Wish," Wondermint repeated. "Well, thanks…but I should really be going now…" She turned and started walking. Behind her, she heard Secret Wish sigh.

"You know, the Lavender Mountains are _that_ way."

Wondermint froze, turned around, and saw Secret Wish pointing in a different direction than the one she'd been headed in.

"How did you know I was going to…"

"I've been following you, remember?" the other reminded her, smiling again. "And you'll _never_ get to the Lavender Mountains if you go that way. Come on, I'll show you the way to go." She began walking in the way she'd been pointing. Wondermint hesitated a moment before following. Yes, it could be a trap, but still, she was curious.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked, following behind Secret Wish and her soft pink glow. The other mare shrugged.

"Well, why not? Do you want me to not help you?"

"NO! No, that's not it! That's not it at all! I'm glad you helped"—_I think_—"I'm just curious is all…"

"No real reason, really," Secret Wish shrugged. "Just felt like it, I suppose."

Wondermint had the unnerving feeling that, to Secret Wish, helping her out was like helping a beetle flipped over on its back and struggling to get back up.

"And…why have you been following me?"

Another shrug. "Well…why not?"

And now she felt like Secret Wish was a bird watcher, and she, Wondermint, was merely one of the little cardinals or robins she followed around with a pair of binoculars, watching over her everyday life for no reason other than that she was bored.

"Oh," she said. "Okay."

For a long time, they walked in silence.

"So…what's your favorite color?" The moment she said it, Wondermint felt like slapping herself. What sort of stupid question was _that_? Sure, it was a nice thing to ask when you were a little foal trying to learn more about your friends, and your favorite objects were some of the main defining points of your identity. But now? Here? In the middle of the woods with a strange mare who was glowing—yes, _glowing_—and had helped you and seemed to have a strange mindset—_what kind of question was that_?!?

"I like them all."

Wondermint snapped out of her mortified mindset and focused on Secret Wish. "Huh? What?"

The other mare's face was expressionless, which was odd, considering how cheerful she'd seemed to be the past ten minutes. "I like them all," she repeated. "You know, all the colors. The rainbow, if you will."

Wondermint blinked. "Oh…yeah…right, I get it…"

Secret Wish smiled. "No. You don't." And she continued walking. Wondermint stared at her back for a moment before following her.

"So," she went on, trying to find _some_ form of conversation. Shouldn't she _learn_ about her traveling companion? She didn't want to be stuck with a complete stranger. Thinking of what to ask next, she blurted out the first question that came to mind. "What's your favorite animal?" Oh, sweet Rainbow, that was awful…

Secret Wish paused a moment. "Well…I rather like deer."

"Deer, huh?" Wondermint asked, determined to _not_ look like a blithering idiot. "I'm rather fond of bats, myself…" Oh, yeah, swell conversation _this_ was turning out to be. Though Secret Wish looked amused, so maybe it wasn't a total loss…

"Bats, eh?" she asked, turning around and cocking an eyebrow. "You like bats?"

"I thought you knew everything about me," was what Wondermint didn't say, because if she did it would be rude. Instead she said, "Yeah. I do."

"Even though they come out at night?" Secret Wish asked, taking a step towards the white mare. "In the dark?"

Wondermint stared into the other's green eyes for a moment before answering with a conviction she didn't understand, "I'm not afraid of the dark."

Secret Wish held her gaze a moment longer before smiling and stepping back.

"That's good," she said, and she turned around again and continued leading the way. "My turn now. What's your favorite flower?"

"Um…violets."

"Stone?"

"Amythyst…"

"Popsicle flavor?"

"Grape…"

"I can see where this is going…"

Ten minutes and a commendable amount of purple-related answers later, Secret Wish was impressed.

"Great Rainbow, and here I thought there wasn't any sort of ice cream that _could_ be purple!"

"Well, Lickety-Split's good with food like that…"

Secret Wish chuckled. "Heh, she would be. Lickety-Split…"

"What, someone else you've been following 'all their life'?"

Secret Wish smiled serenely. "All their lives."

Wondermint eyed her companion for a moment. "You're strange, you know that?"

Secret Wish laughed and opened her mouth to reply—

—and suddenly grabbed Wondermint and slammed her to the ground.

"What the—?!?"

"_Shhhh_!" Secret Wish hissed, her eyes darting back and forth madly as she stood over the white mare. She was quiet a moment, her ears flicking in all directions, and then she scowled. "Crap."

"What?"

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here," a new voice broke in. Wondermint turned her head to see another pony standing ten feet off, watching them with a cold smile that didn't fit well with her bright, cheery yellow coat and orange mane and tail. "Secret Wish," she said, her blue eyes with their unnerving smile fixed on the pink pony. "Don't tell me you're actually getting _involved_." She feigned a shocked gasp.

"Rankle," Secret Wish replied evenly. Never breaking her gaze with the yellow pony, she carefully stepped back from Wondermint, allowing the white mare to stand up. "Been a long time."

"You know, I thought you Shiners didn't want to have anything to do with this," Rankle said cheerily, that unnerving smile still in place.

"It's gone on long enough," Secret Wish answered. Wondermint sent a questioning glance at the other, but the pink pony didn't seem to notice.

"Oh?" Rankle asked. "So now, when we're finally moving into the _important_ part of the plan, _now_ you decide to interfere?"

Secret Wish said nothing, merely looked at the ground with an abashed expression. Rankle snorted amusedly.

"You Shiners. You're all such cowards, you know that? Lazy, too, not stepping in until late in the game… I bet most of you don't even want to do anything. Probably only one of you is goading the rest into action. Let me guess. Flower Garland."

Secret Wish's lips pulled back, her teeth baring in a snarl. Rankle smirked.

"Yes. I thought so. She's such an insufferable person…"

"Shut up," Secret Wish snapped. "Don't say another word."

"One day, Secret Wish, my master will have the joy of making that pink sparkleball scream. One day, he will _break_ her." Rankle's eyes glittered with sadistic glee. It was terrifying. "And then he'll take care of the rest of you, one by one. That day is fast approaching, Secret Wish. You and your cowardly fellows are about to fall, and all those who dare oppose us will be killed—_starting with her_." She jabbed a hoof in Wondermint's direction. The white mare paled.

"Wh—what?"

"Hand her over, Secret Wish. _Now_."

Secret Wish easily nudged the mare in question behind her. "Whatever happens," she whispered, "don't run away. I don't know who else is out there."

Wondermint blinked, but nodded.

"Give her to me," Rankle ordered, not hearing the pink mare's whispered words. Secret Wish sent a stoic gaze her way.

"No."

"You lazy, cowardly _mule_—"

"Just because we haven't done anything for the past thousand years does not mean we are lazy, or cowardly," Secret Wish snapped. Wondermint saw the pink mare's eyes suddenly blaze with green fire. "We had an agreement. You and your side have had your fun. It's time to stop. It's over."

"No," Rankle answered, smirking cruelly. "It's only just begun."

Wondermint was completely unprepared for the strange yellow mare to come hurtling towards them, gaining more speed than was equinnly possible in so short a time and distance before slamming into Secret Wish. She was equally unprepared for the pink mare to spin around, allowing Rankle to smash into her ribs. Secret Wish grunted, but continued in her turn, pushing Rankle off to the side and coming around, raising her front hooves into the air before slamming them into the earth mere inches from Rankle's fallen body. Secret Wish snorted angrily, and Wondermint, watching the scene in shock, was surprised that smoke wasn't wafting from her nostrils.

The entire thing had only taken three seconds.

Rankle chuckled, pushing herself up off the ground. "Haven't lost it, I see." And then she was darting forward again. This time, Secret Wish was the one getting slammed into the ground, but she was on her hooves soon enough, parrying the next of Rankle's thrusts, and trying to deliver an attack of her own. Manes and tails flew through the air, teeth were bared, and the mares were making snarling noises more worthy of wild dogs than ponies. Wondermint cautiously took a few steps back from the contenders, wondering how safe it was to be here, and why on earth it had to involve _her_. She watched as Secret Wish got a nice kick in one of her hind legs, and then had half her mane nearly pulled out by Rankle's teeth. The pink mare shrieked, and, after a particularly vicious tug, Rankle forcefully shoved her to the ground, letting go of her hair as she laughed.

"Maybe I was wrong," she mused. "Maybe you _have_ lost it. But then, it _has_ been a long time since you and yours last got off your lazy tails."

"Shut…up," Secret Wish hissed, breathing heavily as she stood again.

"Lazy tails, lazy tails, lazy tails," Rankle chanted, laughing. She spared a glance in Wondermint's direction, and the white mare's eyes widened in fear. Rankle smirked. "No worries, dear, I'll deal with you once I'm done with Miss Lazy Tail here. In fact," she added gleefully, "allow me to relieve you of that tail, Secret Wish." Secret Wish's tail was suddenly in Rankle's mouth, and the yellow mare was pulling with enough force to rip it out. Secret Wish screamed and, summoning her strength, kicked her hind legs into Rankle's chest as hard as possible. The yellow mare was jolted backwards, taking a good bit of Secret Wish's tail hairs with her. The pink pony gasped, eyes squeezed shut in pain. Rankle's were narrowed in rage.

"Why you little—"

What happened next seemed to go by in slow motion. Rankle leapt at Secret Wish's back, screaming angrily. Secret Wish's green eyes popped open, and in a split second had taken in the attack coming from behind. Her back legs lifted into the air again, as hard and fast as they would go, and slammed into Rankle's lower jaw just as she began her descent. The yellow mare landed a few feet away, unconscious. Secret Wish glared at her, panting heavily. She took a few wobbly steps forward. Wondermint ran to her side.

"Are you okay?!?"

"Haven't done anything like that…in a long time," the other mare answered. She laughed ruefully. "I'm terribly out of shape."

Wondermint shuffled her hooves. "You were a lot better than I would've been." After a moment, she added, "Thanks."

Secret Wish shrugged weakly. "No problem." She took another step towards Rankle's body.

"What are you doing?"

The pink mare's expression was grim. "I need to finish it."

Wondermint stared at her. "You mean…kill her?"

Secret Wish gave her a _duh_ look.

"But—but—"

"Trust me," the pink mare muttered, "it'll be much easier with her out of the way. Besides, it'll only be destroying her _body_."

Wondermint lifted an eyebrow. "Huh?" Secret Wish opened her mouth to answer, but instead froze, her eyes going wide.

"Oh, _crap_," she hissed. "Come on. Quickly!" She turned and ran through the trees. Wondermint followed, struggling to keep up. Secret Wish was a good runner—even _after_ getting beaten up in a fight _and_ being "terribly out of shape". Wondermint would've hated going up against her in top condition.

"Aren't you exhausted or something?" she demanded as they ran.

"Yes," Secret Wish answered. "But we've got to get out of here."

"I thought you wanted to kill her."

"There're two more of them on the way. If we'd stayed to finish the job, they would've found us—and I'm in no condition to fight off two of them, plus protect you."

_Protect you._

"Why are they after me?"

"Less talking, more running."

"But—"

"_Later_, okay?"

"Fine."

Fifteen minutes later found them drinking water from a stream.

"I think we lost them," Secret Wish stated, looking around the forest. Wondermint didn't answer; she was too busy gulping down air and water and choking on both. "Easy there. I didn't save you skin for you to just throw away your life."

_How ironic_, Wondermint thought. _And here air and water are necessary for living._ She looked at her companion, and found that the pink mare looked much better than she had a quarter of an hour ago. The scratches she'd gotten in the fight were nearly healed, and any bruises she'd had were disappearing. Strange. "How can you possibly run that fast? I thought you were out of shape."

Secret Wish laughed. "It's all got to do with comparison. Compared to Rankle, I'm a happy little neighborhood jogger while she's an Olympic champion."

"Olympic?"

"Uh…it's a big contest…for sports…"

"Oh. Never heard of it."

"Doesn't matter. Still, compared to you, _I'm _the Olympic champion, and you're a couch potato. So," she added cheerily, "imagine what Rankle could hypothetically do to you, if you'd been facing her alone."

Wondermint paled at the thought. She could think of several endings to what would happen in that situation, and none of them were pleasant.

But wait a minute…

"If she's so much better than you, why were you able to knock her out?"

Secret Wish blinked. "Uh…luck?"

Wondermint rolled her eyes. "Really."

"Well, that and the fact that I'm more of a retired Olympic champion who's gotten out of shape, but still remembers a few tricks." She sighed nostalgically. "Rankle and I used to get into all sorts of fights back in the old days…"

"That's nice. So. Why are these ponies after me?"

Secret Wish coughed. "Well, that's kinda a long story, you see…"

"It's a long way to the Lavender Mountains."

"How would you know?" Secret Wish smirked. "You were _lost_ when I found you."

Wondermint snorted. "Are you going to answer the question or not?"

Secret Wish sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, okay. Let's see…it has to do with your parents and their deaths, you see…" Seeing Wondermint's patient gaze, she went on, "These ponies who are after you…they don't really like the fact that you believe in all those stories about Dream Valley and such…"

"My parents were assassinated! I KNEW IT!! I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT!!!"

"_Shhhh_!" Secret Wish hissed. "Do you _want_ them to find us?"

Wondermint covered her mouth with a hoof, abashed. "_Sorry_," she whispered.

"So anyway," Secret Wish went on, "basically, they just want to silence you…get you out of the way…"

"Out of the way of what?"

"You don't need to know that right now…"

"There are people trying to _kill me_ and you think I don't need to know this stuff?!?"

"_Shhh_!"

"_Sorry_!"

"No, you don't need to know everything. Leastways, not yet."

"Why not?"

"Because there's a good chance it'll take them so long to carry out their plans that you could very well be dead by the time they start." At Wondermint's blank gaze, she added, "What? Time's a bit different to us. It could easily take them a good few hundred years to get a move-on, and by then you'll be long gone, and I'd rather you lived your life out in peace and happiness without worrying about anything."

"Hundreds of…years?" Wondermint repeated, not looking like she'd taken in much but that. Secret Wish rolled her eyes.

"Long story. That you don't need to hear. Honestly. Come on, let's go."

"But…"

"Curiosity killed the bushwoolie."

"Bushwoolie?"

"And you call yourself a believer…"

OoOoOoOoO

* * *

**End Commentary: Words cannot describe how happy this chapter makes me. Wondermint meeting Secret Wish, their odd conversations, our first glimpse of Rankle, the fight scene, the allusions to the past.... Hee. I love this chapter.**


	5. Blurs

**I do not own My Little Pony. But I do own the OCs that entirely make up this chapter.**

OoOoOoOoO

**Part 5: Blurs**

_In which Rankle makes what is neither her first nor her last stupid, rash decision…_

"Captain Rankle?"

She scowled mentally. Who was so stupid as to try and wake her up? Didn't they know that she absolutely _despised_ being woken up? _No one_ was ever to wake her up, excepting the case of an emergency.

"Captain Rankle?" Someone was shaking her shoulder. Maybe this _was_ an emergency. She should really get up then…figure out the situation…strategize, give orders…help in any way possible…

But why was it so hard to open her eyes?

"Can you hear me?"

Her head hurt. Her head really, _really_ hurt, particularly her lower jaw…she grunted, forced her eye open just a bit, putting up with the blinding light to try and gain a view of her surroundings…

"Captain?" a blue blur in front of her asked. "Are you alright? What happened?"

What happened…? Hold on a second…

"SECRET WISH!" she suddenly shouted, memories coming back to her in a flash. Instantly, she was sitting up from her place on the forest floor, and regretting it terribly as a massive headache set in. "Owwww…"

"Captain?" the blur asked again. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm _not alright_!" she shouted back. "I just had the manure beaten out of my by that lazy-tailed pink filly!"

The blue blur—who was slowly coming into focus as a blue pony—frowned. "Flower Garland?"

"No, you idiot, _Secret Wish_. You know. The one whose name I just _screamed_."

"…Oh."

"Idiot," she hissed, rubbing her head with a hoof. The headache was steadily going away.

"I take it then that you failed in attaining the countess," a hot pink mare—the blue stallion's companion—stated.

"_Yes_," Rankle grumbled. "Yes, I did."

"He won't be happy."

"Tell me something I don't know," Rankle snarled, picking herself up off the ground. "I won't return empty-hooved, though. I have news. The Shiners are actually getting off those lazy tails of theirs. They're going to try something."

The pink mare froze, and the blue stallion's eyes widened. "That…that wouldn't be good," he said. "Last time…last time, we nearly—"

"_Shut up_ about _last time_," Rankle ordered. She felt her strength coming back now, the headache going away. It was a good thing they healed so quickly in these bodies—she had no idea how the _normal_ ponies managed to live out their entire pathetic little lives in these things, waiting for the pain to go away and for wounds to heal over a number of _days_. "_Last time_, they were on par with us. Now, they've spent a millennium doing _nothing_ but sitting back and watching the grass grow. _We've_ stayed in shape. We're more than capable of taking them down for good this time."

The pink mare gave her a look. "Oh? Then how come we find you unconscious on the ground, with no sign of Secret Wish or the countess anywhere?"

Rankle scowled. "The stupid Shiner got lucky. I didn't move fast enough."

The pink mare snorted at that, but let it be. Rankle stretched her legs out, testing them.

"What do we do now?" the blue stallion asked. Rankle rolled her neck around, cracking the joints in her spine.

"We should follow them," she said, "but I have a better idea."

The other two ponies exchanged a look that clearly said, _Uh-oh_.

"And what's that?" the stallion asked.

"We know where they're going. We should get there ahead of them."

The pink mare frowned. "The Lavender Mountains?"

"Yes," Rankle smiled. "We'll get there first, and deliver a surprise attack." She stretched her legs out again. "I can run now. Let's go." And she dashed off through the trees at a speed that no pony was capable of running at. Her followers took less than a moment to run after her.

After they'd left, all the squirrels in the forest began chattering about the three strange-colored blurs they'd seen that day.

OoOoOoOoO

**End Commentary: Ahh, Rankle. Bad guys are such fun to write.**


	6. Myths

**I do not own My Little Pony. But I do have a nice pair of opposable thumbs, unlike poor Crystal Lace.**

OoOoOoOoO

**Part 6: Myths**

_In which Crystal Lace talks to an inanimate object…_

"THAT DOES IT!! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!! I CAN'T PLAY A FREAKING HARP IF I DON'T HAVE FREAKING OPPOSABLE THUMBS!!!"

If anyone had been in the old library, they would have been running out of it very quickly. Crystal Lace was going on a rampage. She'd been coming in here and trying to play the stupid instrument every day for the past four days, and all she managed to produce were hooves stuck in strings and angry screams. Right now, she was glaring at the harp as it lay on the ground.

"Wonder why you were even made to begin with," she growled at it. "It's not like anyone would've ever been able to play you." It was true. Technically, the only way to play a harp was with opposable thumbs. Mythologically, the only creatures _with_ opposable thumbs were the humanoid kind— elves, humans, grundles, bushwoolies. Truthfully, those things were only fairytales, and had never existed.

With an exhausted sigh, Crystal Lace sat down on the carpeting. "I really just want to do this," she murmured, staring at the harp. "For Wundy." She sighed again and looked around. Books, books, books, shelves and shelves of books…the window, the fireplace, the other window—

The fireplace.

_"You know the fireplace in the very back of the library?" _

_"The one with the stone unicorns?" _

_"Yes. That one. Pull the unicorn's horn." _

Crystal Lace stared at the stone unicorns on either side of the fireplace. She looked to the harp. She looked back at the stone unicorns. She stood up, sighed, and walked to the unicorn on the left. Looking over her shoulder, she remarked to the harp, "You know you're bored out of your mind when…"

The harp didn't answer. She hadn't expected it to. If it had, she would have been worried.

Turning back to the fireplace, she pulled the unicorn's horn. It didn't budge.

"Yeah. Wundy was crazy."

Still, she tried again. And again, nothing happened. She examined the stonework. The horn seemed to be firmly grounded in the unicorn's head. Crys looked at the other unicorn, the one on the right.

"It's worth a shot, I guess…"

She looked at this one's horn before she pulled it. At first glance, it looked just as firmly in place as the other one…but…there _was_ something different…just slightly.

She pulled the horn. It moved. So did the fireplace.

Crystal Lace stared at the secret passageway, her mouth hanging open. "Great Rainbow of Light," she breathed. Glancing around the library—and, of course, finding no one there—she picked up her harp, slinging the strap over her neck to hold it in place. Then she turned back to the fireplace. "Might as well."

Yes, it was one of those extremely boring days. The kind where shocking discoveries fit in perfectly.

OoOoOoOoO

**End Commentary: Wow, I just realized that some of these chapters are REALLY short... Sorry about that. XD**


	7. Mistakes

**I do not own My Little Pony. But I do own Rankle, yadda yadda yadda... **

OoOoOoOoO

**Part 7: Mistakes**

_In which Wondermint really has no say in the matter…_

"Are we there yet?"

Secret Wish groaned and rolled her eyes. "Not quite. But we're close."

Wondermint shuffled her feet. "How much longer?"

Secret Wish squeezed her eyes shut. "We'll be there by the end of the day, alright?" They'd been travelling together for the past four days, and Wondermint was reaching the end of her patience. So was Secret Wish, which the Shiner found funny, because she thought that, after living for as long as she had, she'd have an unlimited amount of patience.

Then again, Flower Garland had lived just as long, and _she_ had problems with waiting, too.

"So, what am I supposed to do, when we get to the mountains?" Wondermint asked. "I mean, am I supposed to just live in a cave or something, or do you know if anyone lives there who I can stay with…?"

Secret Wish took a deep breath. "There are some…ponies you can stay with."

"Oh?" Wondermint raised an eyebrow. "Where can I find them?"

"You'll have to cross to the other side of the mountains," Secret Wish explained. "Their kingdom is on the other side."

Wondermint blinked. "Kingdom?"

"Yes."

"I…didn't know there _was_ another kingdom…"

"Well, now you know. And now that you know, you must be sworn to secrecy."

"Huh?"

Secret Wish turned to face her, holding her hoof over her heart. Confused, Wondermint followed suit. "Do you, Countess Wondermint, hereby swear that you shall, under whatever circumstances, never tell the secret of the kingdom over the mountains, be it under threat of pain, suffering, torture, indescribable agonies, tickling, allergies, the threat to clean up your room, no desserts for the rest of your life, the threat of having a shave/haircut/anything having to do with hair, or even under threat of death?"

Wondermint blinked. "And…uh, if I _don't_ swear to secrecy?"

"I'll kill you where you stand."

Wondermint blinked again. Secret Wish didn't. Wondermint decided, _What the hey_, and said, "I do."

"Good!" Secret Wish brightened. "And now you can't ever, _ever_ tell anyone about this place! Unless, of course, someone finds out, then you have to swear _them_ to secrecy or kill them on the spot…unless, you know, _everyone_ finds out, then there's really no point in keeping it a secret…"

"What's so special about this place?" Wondermint asked, her nose scrunched up in confusion. "Why does it need to stay so secret?"

Secret Wish smiled. "Do you believe in unicorns?"

OoOoOoOoO

Rankle stood perfectly still, except for her ears. They were flicking about madly, trying to pinpoint the spot where the noises were coming from. There were definitely voices coming from somewhere…if she could just figure out where from…

"I've got them," the blue stallion said suddenly. "Just a little north of us, and up the mountain a bit more. Not very far."

"Good," said Rankle.

"There's something odd, though," he went on. "There are definitely two ponies, but they don't sound quite right…"

"Doesn't matter," the pink mare snapped. "Let's just hurry up and finish this thing."

Rankle smiled. "I couldn't have said it better myself." With that, she charged off through the trees, closely followed by her colleagues. At their speed, it only took about two minutes to find their quarry, standing in a rocky ledge that led further up the Lavender Mountains. With a savage war cry, Rankle threw herself into their midst, attacking the first one she saw. Her assistants did likewise.

It was only after they began the fight, though, that they realized these ponies were most assuredly _not_ Secret Wish, nor the Countess Wondermint.

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**End Commentary: Another short chapter. And I know for a fact that I was INSANELY SLOW at updating when I was putting these up at the Arena. Why haven't my readers killed me yet?? O.o**


	8. Trips

**I do not own My Little Pony, blah blah blah, purple monkey dishwasher... And while I'm sure you already know that I own Rankle and company, I'd also like to add that I also own King Windimoor. And, I guess, technically, the three nameless guards as well. *shrug***

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**Part 8: Trips**

_In which the governing body of Unicornia is drastically altered…_

As she looked at the view, Lily Lightly felt her breath steal away. It was beautiful from up here. The way the light hit the forest…and seeing the birds flying…

"I love these walks," her husband said beside her. She smiled at him.

"Yes. They're so relaxing, and it's nice to get away from the court every once in a while."

Granted, this was a little long for a "walk"—they took off from work, left the kingdom in the able hands of their trusted advisor, and went hiking through the mountains with three guards for a week. Yeah, it was a really long walk, but a relaxing one.

"Do you think we should bring Rarity next time?" Lily asked, looking out over the view.

"Maybe," her husband smiled. "If you want to."

"The only reason I didn't bring her this time was because she's still so young…and little…and _mischievous_. I didn't want her getting too close to the edge." Though maybe they _should_ have brought her. Mere days before they'd left on this trip, Nutmeg, one of Rarity's caretakers, had run screaming from her charge's room. Since then, everyone else in the castle had been extra-wary of getting drafted into babysitting duty.

He laughed. "I understand, dear. I understand." He rested his head on top of hers. "Remember when I proposed to you here?"

She closed her eyes and smiled. "Yes. It was the happiest day of my life."

"I thought that was the day Rarity was born."

"That was the most _painful_ day of my life," she smiled. "But one of the happiest, too. I've had a lot of happiest days."

He smiled. "So have I."

In the forest behind them, birds started screeching. Lily frowned, and her husband took a step towards the trees, listening. "I wonder what that is?"

"Sir," one of the guards said, looking around, "maybe we should think about moving on…it sounds like a mountain lion might be attacking something…"

"I don't hear any growls," Lily heard her husband answer. She, however, peered at the trees confusedly. Something about the way those birds were screeching…something wasn't right…

"King Windimoor—" one of the guards began, but he was cut off by a savage warcry from some sort of beast. Three blurs flew out of the forest, one yellow, closely followed by blue and pink. The yellow one slammed into Windimoor's side, screaming for all it was worth. The three guards, meanwhile, found themselves fighting with the pink and blue blurs, which were slowing down and resolving into ponies. Ponies with supernatural strength, speed, and fighting skills. Lily Lightly flinched as one of their guards was easily taken down, and the pink mare who'd felled him started on the next. A shriek tore her eyes away from the fighting, and she turned to see her husband in battle with a yellow mare. He snorted at her, glowering, his red eyes blazing with fury.

"Who are you?" he demanded, like the king he was. "What do you want from us? How did you find us?"

The yellow mare, however, was staring at him speechlessly. "Unicorns?" she breathed. "How…no, this isn't _possible_…"

"Oh, but it is, earthling," Windimoor snorted. "We may have stayed hidden, but we aren't gone. Who are you and what is your business here?"

"Windi," Lily began, seeing another of their guards get taken down, but he didn't notice. All his attention was focused on the yellow mare before them.

"Are you going to answer my question or not?" he demanded. To his surprise, the stranger merely chuckled.

"I see," she smiled, in a way that was not at all pleasant. "Maybe those Shiners haven't been as lazy as I thought… Oh, this is too good. Wait until my master hears this."

Windimoor snorted. "He won't." A beam of light shot out of his horn, but the yellow mare jumped out of the way. The orange unicorn king stared at her, shocked. "How—"

"I'm not your average earthling," she smirked. And then she was running at him, dodging his magical attacks, slamming into his side—

—he was skidding backwards, towards the edge of the ledge—

—and then he was falling…falling…falling…

…falling…

"WINDIIIIIII!!!" Lily shrieked, dashing to the very edge of the cliff in time to see his orange body disappear below the trees. "NO!" Behind her, the yellow mare chuckled.

"Oh, how sad," she smirked. Lily turned to face her, and saw that the hot pink mare and the blue stallion were watching her as well. "Don't worry, dear. You'll be joining him soon enough. Although," she added, looking happy in a terrifying way, "I see no reason why I should kill you immediately. After all, now that I know of your existence, I do have a number of…questions."

It occurred to Lily that she was trapped, alone on a cliff edge, with three strange earth ponies who'd easily taken down four unicorns—one of whom who had been the strongest in the entire kingdom. Lily Lightly, Queen of Unicornia, did the only thing her terrified mind could think of.

She screamed.

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Secret Wish's ears perked. "You hear that?"

Wondermint frowned, straining her ears as well. "Uh…no?"

"_Listen_."

Wondermint listened. It took a moment, but she managed to make out a noise… "Screaming?" she asked. Secret Wish frowned, before moving forward quickly.

"Come on."

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**End Commentary: Yes, I own King Windimoor...despite the fact he doesn't stick around very long. Ouch. Poor Lily Lightly. There's a reason for this, I swear...**


	9. Lights

**I don't own My Little Pony and so on and so forth la-dee dah-dee dah. **

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**Part 9: Lights**

_In which Rankle digs herself deeper into that ditch…_

At the bottom of a cliff, they found something truly horrible.

"Sweet Rainbow," Wondermint whispered. "Is he…?"

"Yeah," said Secret Wish, looking shocked. "Yeah, he…he…"

They stared at the orange unicorn before them. Wondermint felt horrible. She'd never even _seen_ a unicorn before, and here was one right in front of her face—dead.

Up on the cliff above them, the screaming continued. Secret Wish scowled.

"Rankle."

"Her again?"

"Who else?"

"She's…screaming?" Wondermint was confused. Secret Wish shook her head, looking sick.

"No, that's not it. She's making someone _else_ scream."

Wondermint froze. "What?"

"Come on," Secret Wish said, going around the cliff to find an easier way up. "We need to get up there."

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Lily Lightly could feel her mind falling apart on her. "P-p-please," she whimpered, staring up imploringly at Rankle. "_Stop_."

Rankle scowled down at the purple unicorn. "I'll stop when I've gotten the information I need from you!" Another flash of light filled the air. Lily screamed from the pain. "How many more of you are there? Where are you living? _Answer me_!!"

Lily shrieked again. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be home…in the Crystal Rainbow Palace…with Windimoor, and her darling little Rarity…

"Rarity…" she whispered. Rankle looked at her.

"Rarity?" the yellow pony repeated.

"Rarity…"

"Who's Rarity?"

"Rarity…" Lily Lightly frowned—who _was_ Rarity? She couldn't…she couldn't remember, the pain was _too much_…

"Tell me who Rarity is, dear."

She wanted to—she wanted to tell _herself_ who Rarity was. She wanted to know why everything _hurt_. She wanted to know who she was, where she was, why she was in so much _pain_… Had it always hurt this much?

"Answer me."

She couldn't.

"Answer me NOW!!"

More light. She shrieked—the light was painful, the light _was_ pain, it flowed through her, forced its way through her, until every single cell was screaming for mercy—

"Rankle," someone said.

"What?" the yellow mare demanded. "Can't you see I'm _busy_, you—oh! Blitzkrieg! What a…surprise!"

"Let the unicorn go, Rankle."

"What? Why? I'm trying to get information out of—"

"The only thing you're doing is turning her brain into a slurpee. Let her go. It's the master's orders."

The pain stopped. Lily Lightly cried with relief, and curled up as best as her hurting body would let her. She didn't hear anything else that the strange ponies said.

Rankle looked at Blitzkrieg. The dark purple stallion looked right back.

"Why…why does he want…"

"You've failed, Rankle. _Again_," Blitzkrieg snorted. "All he wanted was for you to kill the countess. Instead, you get beaten up by an out-of-shape Shiner, kill four unicorns, and torture another to insanity. I know how much you enjoy bloodshed, but _honestly_."

"But Blitzkrieg—unicorns! Think of what this means!"

"It means that you've ruined our master's plans, he needs to rethink most of them, _and_ you're terribly out of shape if Secret Wish was able to knock you out so easily. He's having you taken off duty for a while. You are to train hard and get back into shape so that you can be _useful_ again."

Rankle froze. Taken off duty?!? How embarrassing!! "But—"

"No buts," Blitzkrieg ordered. He looked at the pink and blue ponies standing off to the side. "Come on. It's time that we got back."

"And…and the countess?" Rankle asked meekly.

"The Shiner is protecting her. We'll let her live. For now. Let's go."

Lily Lightly didn't see the strange ponies disappear. She was in too much pain to see much of anything.

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It was a gruesome sight that greeted Secret Wish and Wondermint when they finally reached the top of the cliff. The three dead unicorns were obviously beyond help, and Wondermint stared at them sadly. Rankle and her companions must truly be heartless creatures to do something as horrible as this.

A whimper drew her attention to a huddled, purple figure at the cliff's edge. Secret Wish was already there, gently touching the terrified unicorn mare. Wondermint carefully walked to the pink pony's side. "Is she…?"

"She's terribly hurt," Secret Wish stated. Wondermint looked over the purple body.

"I don't see any blood."

"It's mental, mostly," the glowing pony explained. "Rankle's attacks focus on the brain and nervous system. She makes you _feel_ pain, without really doing anything to your body. Your mind, on the other hand…" She trailed off sadly, looking at the cringing figure below them. "She's probably lost half of hers."

"Will she be okay?"

"Depends," Secret Wish answered. "I might be able to help a bit…" She trailed off, and lowered her head so that her forehead touched that of the purple mare. Secret Wish closed her eyes, and a soft pink light enveloped both her and the unicorn. The mare shrieked at first, crying in fear, and then in relief as the light brought no pain, but healing, and she felt the agony slowly slip away.

After a moment, Secret Wish pulled back from the touch, and the light faded. "I helped her mind as much as I could," she whispered to Wondermint, "but she'll never completely heal, mentally." Turning to the unicorn, she asked gently, "Are you alright?"

"I…I…"

"Do you feel okay?"

"Rarity…Windimoor…no…no…!"

"_Shhh_," Secret Wish said, in a comforting way. She lowered her head and gently touched the unicorn's brow. "It's going to be alright."

Wondermint watched the Shiner calm the purple pony before asking, "Now what?"

"Now?" Secret Wish asked, frowning. "Now you need to get to Unicornia. And you need to take her with you."

"Aren't you coming?"

"I'll show you the way out of the mountains," Secret Wish answered. "After that, though, I need to go find out what happened to Rankle. Don't worry, though," she added upon seeing Wondermint's worried look. "I'll make sure someone comes to help you."

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**End Commentary: Hmmm. Rankle reminds me an awful lot of Bellatrix Lestrange here, what with the mind-being-turned-into-a-slurpee-ness. That was totally coincidental. Promise. **

**Anyway. Like I said, there's a point to torturing poor Lily Lightly and turning her brain into a slurpee. You know how in _Come Back, Lily Lightly!_ she's acting like she isn't all there? Yeah. This is why.**


	10. Partings

**I don't own My Little Pony!!!**

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**Part 10: Partings**

_In which one of those perfectly lovely extra unicorns Hasbro didn't see fit to name gets her due…_

"This is it."

Wondermint looked through the dim light at the path she was supposed to take out of the mountains. It had taken them the rest of the day to calm down the unicorn, and the sun was nearly completely set. "I just follow this?"

"Yep." Secret Wish nodded. "It'll lead you right back to Unicornia. And I'll make sure someone comes out to help you before you get there."

Wondermint looked at the purple unicorn mare standing listlessly beside her. There was an empty look in her eyes, and she stared at the ground without really seeing it. "You're sure she's gonna be alright?"

"She'll be better once she gets home," Secret Wish answered. "Trust me. We can't just wait in the woods for a couple of days for her to get better." After a pause, she added, "Just be gentle with her, alright?"

"No worries," Wondermint assured the Shiner. The twosome stood there for a moment in silence.

"By the way," Wondermint added, "thanks. I would've been glue by now if you hadn't've helped me."

Secret Wish laughed. "Yeah. That was a pretty nasty bush."

"I wasn't talking about the bush," Wondermint smiled. "But thanks."

"You should get going," Secret Wish said. "It isn't too far. You can get there by morning going slow, which you will be with her." She gestured to the unicorn. "Good luck, Wondermint."

"Thanks. Same to you." She didn't really know what the pink pony would be doing, but it sounded dangerous. Secret Wish smiled.

"I'll see you around. Now get."

Wondermint nodded and gently nudged the unicorn. They made their way down the rocky path, going slowly so that the unicorn didn't strain herself. Secret Wish watched them with a smile on her lips.

When they were far off enough that they couldn't see her, she disappeared in a flash of light.

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Whistle Wishes.

_She looked around, frowning. It was another one of these dreams. This time, she was standing in a cloudy sky. _

Whistle Wishes,_ the voice said again, and a glowing pony came into view. It was the orange one this time, complete with purple and red hair._

Yes?_ she asked._

Your queen needs you, _the other answered._

_She was instantly all ears. _What happened?

A terrible accident. You must help the queen. She is in safe hooves, and is being guided back here, but her companion—a white earth pony with purple hair—has never been here before and could use some help. Send a troop up the mountain path to bring them here safely. Do not harm the earth pony, she is a friend in need of help, and can be trusted.

_Whistle Wishes's mind was whirling._ What…what about King Windimoore?

_The orange pony looked at her sadly. _I'm sorry. Nothing can be done for him.

He's…dead?!?

Take care of the queen, _the orange pony ordered. _She is the one who needs help. Do as I've ordered. The Earth pony will be able to explain. Treat her well. _And with that, the sparkling mare disappeared. _

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Whistle Wishes woke up. For a moment, she merely laid in her bed, blinking. And then she jumped to her feet and ran out the bedroom door, dashing down the hallways to Cheerilee's room. _Please don't be asleep yet. Please don't be asleep yet._ The sun hadn't set too long ago, and Whistle Wishes had only just gone to bed when the dream had come. There was a good chance Cheerilee was still awake.

She was. The purple unicorn looked up in confusion as Whistle Wishes entered the room.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I had another dream," Whistle Wishes said. "Something terrible's happened."

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True to Secret Wish's word, they hadn't gone too far when Wondermint heard the trample of hooves.

"Sounds like our help's here," she remarked to the purple unicorn. The other didn't answer.

"Who goes there?" a new voice called out, and Wondermint looked up to see a red unicorn mare with about twenty soldiers behind her. The red unicorn—their leader, apparently—froze when she saw Wondermint's companion. "Queen Lily Lightly!"

Wondermint froze—_queen_?!?

"My lady, are you alright?"

"She needs a medic," Wondermint said quickly, sounding unfazed despite the fact her brain was whirring at a hundred miles per hour. This purple unicorn was their _queen_?!? "Something happened to her. We need to get her back to Unicornia as fast as possible."

The red unicorn scrutinized her. "Wait, you're an earth pony? How did you know about Unicor—"

"It's a long story," Wondermint cut her off. "I can tell you later…please, she really needs help."

The red mare nodded. "Right. All right, everyone, let's wink the queen and her companion out of here! We need to get back to the palace, now!"

As the other unicorns formed a circle around them to wink out, the red unicorn turned to Wondermint. "I'm Radiance, by the way. Captain of the Unicornian guard."

"I'm Wondermint," Wondermint answered. Radiance nodded.

"I'd be happy to meet you under friendlier circumstances. Alright, everyone! Wink out!"

The world disappeared in a flash of light.

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**End Commentary: I also don't own Radiance, by the way. I just named her. She's one of those lovely extra unicorns you can see in the background of the Unicornia scenes. She's the red one with yellow and cyan hair, with these....pink bubbles or something as a symbol. I think she would've made a LOVELY toy, but of course Hasbro didn't make her. *pouts* **

**Again, I don't own My Little Pony. All of the extras would've been made into toys if I did.**


	11. Truths

**For the last time, I don't own My Little Pony!**

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**Part 11: Truths**

_In which Crystal Lace decides that sanity is second to friendship…_

Crystal Lace stared at the room. "This…this can't _possibly_ be real…"

But real it was. There were books everywhere, and paintings, and scrolls—and it all seemed to be so very _old_…

She looked at one of the paintings that leaned against a table and a stack of books. It depicted a human girl, with long blonde hair and strange clothing, standing beside a pink pegasus with a blue mane and tail, and blue lightningbolts gracing her hips. The twosome had determined expressions on their faces.

Not quite knowing what she was doing, Crystal Lace picked up a book from the pile on the table. The number twenty-seven was embossed on the spine. She flipped to the last page.

It turned out to be a diary.

_Seventh day of the Green Stripe, year 1987_

_They've been steadily pushing us back. I don't know what to do. Majesty's gone, and the elves have gone into hiding. No one knows what happened to the Princesses. _

_I miss Firefly. _

_Danny and Molly have been trying to think of a plan, but we see no way out of this that doesn't end in death. I really don't know what to do. I'd trust in the Rainbow, but even that doesn't seem to do any good any more. Sometimes, there really _isn't_ another rainbow. We'll probably be dead by the yellow stripe. _

_Though I'll admit that, before I go down, I'd really love to tear Rankle's eyeballs out for what she did to Firefly. _

_I'm rambling. There really isn't anything else to do. This is hopeless. In the off chance that anyone ever finds this diary after I die—well, there's really nothing to say that I haven't already. We did our best. We really did. _

_Damn you, Tirak. _

_~Megan Lennox~_

Crystal Lace set the diary down. _Oh, Wundy…_ She had an idea, now, sort of. Kind of. Maybe.

Something was happening. Something that involved her friend. And Crystal Lace wasn't the sort of pony to just let the world fly by her when her friend was obviously in trouble, and the answers lay right in front of her. She looked at the book again, taking in the number twenty-seven on the spine. Twenty-seven…

Sure enough, the rest of the books were numbered as well. Crystal Lace pulled out number one, and opened it to the first page.

_June 10__th__, 1983_

_Dear Diary,_

_So I only just got off on summer vacation a little while ago, and you'll never believe what happened! A pink flying pony crash-landed into the well! It was amazing! Even TJ thought so! Her name is Firefly, and she flew me over this rainbow to this magical land… Though it isn't all happy and all…there's this really bad guy who's kidnapping ponies and turning them into his slaves or something… Right now there's a meeting going on to try and figure out how to stop him. I'm really bored, so this nice pegasus named Paradise gave me this diary to write in. I can't wait for Firefly and the others to come out of the meeting. It's just really boring right now. _

_But I've seen the most beautiful ponies! Firefly was really pretty, and so was Paradise, and there was this other green pegasus and a bunch of normal-looking ponies in all sorts of colors…and then there's Queen Majesty. She's a gorgeous unicorn. _

_Danny and Molly are never going to believe this when I tell them. Heh, neither will anyone else who picks up this diary. _

_You got that right,_ Crys thought. There were no such things as pegasai or unicorns. There were no such things as humans.

But she read on. For Wundy.

**End Part 1**

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**End Commentary: And so the plot thickens! Poor Crystal Lace, getting all wound up in the events of the past. And we finally get some solid information on what happened to the G1s--er, Old Ponyland. The Ponyvillians wouldn't call them "G1s", anyway... **

**Megan's diary entries were fun to write. Especially the first one Crys read there, about how the world's ending. So much MYSTERY!!1!one! Yeah... **

**Up next, Part 2: Adjustments! Yay! Thanks for reading! ^_^  
**


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